Last updated: October 28, 2026
If you are wondering what to order at Shukette, the most important thing to know is that this is not a conventional appetizer, entrée and dessert menu. Shukette, chef Ayesha Nurdjaja’s Levantine-inspired restaurant in Chelsea, is built around shared plates, house-made breads, dips, vegetables and dishes cooked over charcoal. The meal becomes clearer when you order it in stages: bread and dips first, a few plates from The Shuk next, one dish from Al Ha’esh and dessert at the end.
That structure is called rip and dip. Warm bread is not a preliminary extra here; it is the tool you use to eat much of the meal. You tear it by hand, pull it through a dip and keep some on the table for the sauces and juices still to come. Once you understand that rhythm, a first visit becomes much less intimidating—and much more fun.
Price note: Shukette’s menu does not list prices online, and dishes change with the seasons. Check the restaurant’s current menu or ask your server for today’s prices before you order.
What to Order at Shukette at a Glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Best way to begin | One bread with one or two dips |
| Signature dip | Not Your Average Hummus |
| Best section for vegetables | The Shuk |
| Best first charcoal-grilled dish | Joojeh Chicken |
| Dessert not to skip | The Mic Drop |
| Ordering style | Shared plates, served for the table |
For the complete dish-by-dish breakdown, use our Shukette menu guide alongside this first-timer’s ordering plan.
Start With One Bread
Every table should begin with bread. It establishes the rip-and-dip format and gives you something to pair with each dip, but ordering every bread at once can crowd the table before the rest of the food arrives. For a first visit, one is enough.
Frena is the classic choice: a Moroccan-style bread finished with garlic and oregano. It is warm, substantial and built for tearing. Lafa, a grilled flatbread with ramp butter and sea salt, is the alternative if you prefer something shaped by the grill. Either works; choose based on the flavor you want underneath the dips.
Do not treat the bread as a disposable starter. Keep a piece nearby after the dips are finished. It is useful for the harissa butter from a Shuk plate or the green charmoula served with a charcoal-grilled dish, and that second use is part of what makes the meal feel connected rather than like a sequence of unrelated small plates.
Add One or Two Dips
One bread and two dips is a comfortable opening for two people. It gives you contrast without turning the first course into the whole dinner.
Not Your Average Hummus
Start with Not Your Average Hummus if you want the most requested dip. Topped with marinated chickpeas and bang bang shata, it is the natural introduction to Shukette’s style: familiar in outline, but layered with texture and heat. It also pairs easily with both Frena and Lafa.
Beet Tzatziki
Choose Beet Tzatziki as the second dip when you want the brighter, less familiar option. Its yogurt base gives it a cool, tangy quality that resets the palate between richer bites. Paired with the hummus, it creates a useful contrast—one earthy and spiced, the other fresh and sharp.
If you order only one dip, make it the hummus. If your table prefers to explore, the hummus and Beet Tzatziki together show more of the kitchen’s range. Spring Pea Dip is another option named among the dependable vegan choices in the source material, but preparations can change, so vegan diners should confirm the day’s recipe with the server.
Pick Two or Three Plates From The Shuk
The Shuk is the vegetable-and-small-plates heart of the menu. Its name comes from the Hebrew and Arabic word for market, and the section was designed around seasonal, vegetable-forward cooking rather than as an afterthought. For a first meal, choose two or three plates with different roles: something green, something warm and comforting and, if you want a more substantial middle course, one seafood or chicken plate.
Pea Party is a strong place to begin when it is available. As the name promises, it is the green, garden-like choice in this part of the menu and provides a fresh counterpoint to the breads and dips.
Glazed Sweet Potatoes bring warmth and richness. They work in almost any combination because they sit comfortably between the cool dips and the smokier dishes from the grill. If your table wants a plate that feels generous without moving fully into main-course territory, this is a reliable pick.
Egyptian Spiced Grilled Wings add a more assertive, savory option. They are useful when everyone at the table wants something substantial before the Al Ha’esh course but does not want the middle of the meal to become too heavy.
Shrimp à la Plancha, served with harissa butter, is the seafood route. It gives the table a briny, buttery plate and another sauce worth finishing with bread. Do not order all four Shuk dishes automatically. Pick the combination that matches your appetite and leave room for the grill and dessert.
Choose One Dish From Al Ha’esh
Al Ha’esh means “from the fire.” This is Shukette’s charcoal-grill section, where dishes are cooked over natural hardwood charcoal in the open kitchen. The grill’s uneven heat creates areas of deep char alongside gentler cooking zones, while the wood adds smoke that a gas flame does not reproduce. Expect the flavors here to be more intense than those in the dip and Shuk courses.
Joojeh Chicken
For a first visit, Joojeh Chicken is the most approachable choice. The saffron-yogurt-marinated half chicken is served with toum, and the marinade caramelizes against the charcoal. It is noticeably smoky, but the dish is generous enough to feed two comfortably when it is part of the shared order described here. That makes it especially practical for a couple following the sample order below.
Grass-Fed Steak Shish Kebab
Choose the Grass-Fed Steak Shish Kebab if your table prefers beef. It is served with carrot harissa and preserved lemon, so the char is balanced by sweetness, heat and acidity. It is a strong second choice and the natural alternative when nobody wants chicken.
You do not need more than one Al Ha’esh dish on a first visit for two. The point is to experience the grill clearly, not to sample the entire section before you know how the portions and pace work for your table.
A Sample Order for Two
This is the simplest first-time path through the menu:
| Course | Order |
|---|---|
| Bread | Frena or Lafa |
| Dip | Not Your Average Hummus; add Beet Tzatziki if ordering two dips |
| The Shuk | Glazed Sweet Potatoes, plus Pea Party or another Shuk plate to taste |
| Al Ha’esh | Joojeh Chicken to split |
| Dessert | The Mic Drop |
This combination covers the restaurant’s main ideas without overwhelming the table: tearing bread, a signature dip, a vegetable-led middle, smoke from the charcoal grill and the dessert most closely associated with Shukette. Add another Shuk plate if you arrive hungry, but resist ordering one of everything. Shukette’s shared format works best when the table can still respond as the meal develops.
Do Not Skip Dessert
Skipping dessert is the mistake first-timers are most likely to regret. The Mic Drop is Shukette’s signature finish: tahini soft serve topped with halva floss, hazelnut and pomegranate. Tahini gives the soft serve a nutty, slightly savory depth instead of plain sweetness, the halva floss adds texture and more sesame flavor, and the pomegranate cuts through the richness. The dessert is rich and generous, so two or three people can comfortably share one.
If tahini is not for you, choose the Pomegranate Crasher instead. This pomegranate sorbet with dark chocolate and lime is fruitier, lighter and more conventionally refreshing. It is the better choice after a particularly smoky or rich meal, or for anyone who prefers sorbet to soft serve.
What to Try on a Later Visit
Once you know the core order, branch out. Fish in a Cage—a whole porgy grilled with fennel and green charmoula—is the gentlest introduction to the charcoal section if you want seafood. The fish is cooked in a hinged grilling basket so it can be turned over direct flame without falling apart, and the citrus-herb charmoula softens the smoke.
Lamb Kebab is the other return-visit priority. It is served with braised leeks, chickpea, pickled chili, roasted shallot and feta; the smoke cuts through the richness of the lamb, while the accompanying ingredients keep the dish from feeling one-note. Rotating seasonal specials are also worth asking about because the menu changes over time.
FAQs
What should a first-timer order at Shukette?
Start with Frena or Lafa and Not Your Average Hummus, add one or two plates from The Shuk, share Joojeh Chicken from Al Ha’esh and finish with The Mic Drop.
Is Shukette designed for sharing?
Yes. The menu is built around shared plates rather than a fixed appetizer-entrée path, so dishes are best ordered for the middle of the table.
Is Joojeh Chicken enough for two people?
As part of the shared order in this guide, yes. It is described as feeding two comfortably when paired with bread, dips and Shuk plates.
What is rip and dip at Shukette?
It is the restaurant’s bread-and-dip format: tear warm bread by hand and use it to scoop dips and finish sauces throughout the meal.
What dessert should I order if I do not like tahini?
Order the Pomegranate Crasher, a pomegranate sorbet with dark chocolate and lime. It is lighter and fruitier than The Mic Drop.
Does Shukette list menu prices online?
No. Shukette’s menu does not list prices online, so check the restaurant’s current menu or ask your server for today’s prices before ordering.
Before You Go
Check the current menu before your visit because dishes and preparations change with the seasons. For a first meal, keep the order focused: one bread, one or two dips, two or three Shuk plates, one dish from the fire and dessert. That is enough to understand why Shukette’s bread is an eating tool, why The Shuk matters and how charcoal shapes the restaurant’s cooking—without turning a first visit into an endurance test.
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